Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row, and Harlequin Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Kimberly Belle, with the audio perfectly narrated by the duo of Jennifer Jill Araya and Marni Penning. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Rayna left her small town home in Louisiana for a fresh start after a nasty divorce, landing in Amsterdam. When she accepts a Tinder date with the handsome and successful Xander, she never expected to wake up the next morning to find him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars' worth of diamonds missing. Willow is married to the heir to a diamond house who also happened to be Xander's boss. The news shocks her and strains their already troubled marriage. Soon both of these women are dragged into the dangerous world of the diamond market.

Once again, Kimberly Belle has created a fast-paced thriller, where the lives of these two expat women become entwined. Told from their alternating POV, with family dysfunction and drama from beginning to end, and plenty of unsavory characters. I enjoyed the Amsterdam setting as well as a peek into the diamond world - both were fascinating. There are plenty of twists and turns and I especially enjoyed the ending.

💭: Although I am a bug Belle fan, this one fell short for me. Was it action packed? Hell yes! From the very first chapter your heart is thumping! But I couldn’t get into the diamond thieves plot line. I couldn’t relate. Maybe that is why I rounded down to 3.5. My Darling Husband is my favorite book of hers, it will be hard to live up to that one.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: June 03, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

Oh what was this?!?! Yes and yes I will read anything from Kimberly Belle again, Paris Window I devoured and now I will auto-buy everything from Belle. This was so good you guys! Gripping, heart racing and wondering what’s around the next page so good! The setting/backdrop was perfect (Amsterdam), the characters were very well written and the pace was fast!

A man is killed and two women from completely different types of lives are brought together in more ways than one for different reasons because of it and we are trying to figure out who killed our Xander and could they be next.

I absolutely love love love these types of thrillers because they keep me on edge and I MUST KNOW type of binge read. Get your snack or a big bowl of popcorn and a good beverage because you’re going to be sitting there reading til the very last page because it’s THAT GOOD.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row

Rayna has moved to Amsterdam to escape and forget her exhusband who blew up their marriage with an affair. She consciously vows to live life when she meets the handsome Xander and decides to spend a glorious night with him. As she awakens she hears him in the shower and when she decides to join him finds him murdered. When she hears noises she grabs her clothes, flees his penthouse and reports it to the police because her DNA and her phone are still there. She discovers the handsome Xander is an executive for the large diamond distributor and valuable diamonds were taken that night too all without her hearing a thing. The wife of the owner of the diamond firm warns her she is in danger but how is she involved, what has she gotten herself into and how can she convince everyone she didn’t steal the diamonds? Interesting, fast paced mystery where secrets of the wealthy collide with being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kimberly Belle is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! #thexpataffair

Kimberly Belle has done it again with this edge of your seat cat and mouse game of a thriller. The setting is perfect for this story and learning about the diamond industry was fascinating and added a lot to the story. This author is one of my must read authors and she never disappoints. Her stories are original with a depth to the story that is unmatched in the thriller genre. I loved unraveling this twisty story packed full of secrets. Highly recommend this new release!

Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for my review.

2.66 Stars

I loved this Author's 2019 release Dear Wife, it was a five-star read for me. This one left me feeling disappointed. I was hoping for an exciting thriller in a cool foreign city, and while the premise was unique, the execution, unfortunately, left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

After a tumultuous divorce, Rayna goes to Amsterdam to start over. She meets Xander and has a one-time fling with him. When she wakes the next morning, Xander is dead in the shower, and his diamonds have been stolen. Then we have Willow, whose husband used to be Xander's boss. Willow and Rayna try to uncover the truth. I liked how the author portrayed expat living, and she did a great job of what it's like to live in Amsterdam.

The first half of the book is part one, and it was very slow going. I wanted a thriller at breakneck speed, and all I got was the droning on about the diamond industry. It was overly detailed and very repetitive. There is some tension and suspense, but not enough for my liking. Xander felt left out, so it was hard to care about him and why he died. I did like Rayna and Willow as characters in the beginning, but as the book moved forward, their lack of depth came out. Some of their choices had me rolling my eyes, and it made it hard to sympathize with them, especially Rayna.

Then there is part three, the ending. There were a couple of surprises along the way that I liked, and this book would be great for fans of lighter thrillers with a foreign setting. It doesn't deliver on its promise of excitement. Part One gets two stars, Part Two gets three stars, and Part Three gets three stars, so that's an average of 2.66, rounded up to three.

"𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒔, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈. 𝑴𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒐𝒘."

Special thanks to @kimberlybellebooks @parkrowbooks & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Never would I ever think that diamonds are so luxurious and such a cute throat "pun intended" business.
So much information in this one, it had me in awe.

This is told between two POVS, and a sprinkle of dual timelines. It's also pretty well paced. I read this in 2 sittings.

This one is SO twisty, you think you know - but just wait and you'll question each character til you're blue in the face. My head sponge for the last 20% , and that ending *👨‍🍳 💋*

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
June 3, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Do you own any diamonds?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #theexpataffair #kimberlybelle #parkrowbooks
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I was immediately pulled into this story and couldn’t put it down. Rayna, an American trying to start over in Amsterdam after a divorce, wakes up to find her one-night stand (Xander) dead in the shower and diamonds worth millions missing.

Meanwhile we meet Willow, who’s married to Thomas Prins, a big name in the diamond world and Xander’s old boss. Her life seems put-together at first, but things unravel fast as she gets pulled into the mess. Both women are trying to figure out what really happened, and their stories start to overlap and we’re not sure who to trust.

The Amsterdam setting was nice, and learning about the diamond industry was somewhat interesting even though some of it was confusing. The book moves fast and has plenty of twists, but I didn’t totally connect with the characters, and a few things felt a little too convenient.
Overall, it kept me entertained, but it’s probably not one I’ll remember a few months from now. I will definitely continue to read Kimberly Belle’s book because some of her others are really great!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book.

A suspenseful read with a trip through Amsterdam. Rayna wakes up to find her Tindr date murdered and the diamonds in his safe are missing. How did she survive? He had a job with a the well know House of Prins, who deal in diamonds. This story is told from two perspectives, Rayna and Willow who is married to the head of the House of Prins. The suspense rises as these two women try to figure out what happened. Rayna is trying to not let the killer find her and Willow is trying to escape a loveless marriage. Both women are caught in a web and hoping to survive.
If you like suspense then this is a book for you!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Kimberly Belle and #ParkRowBooks for a copy of this book.
#TheExpatAffair

I love how layered Kimberly Belle’s thrillers are. This one had great pace & a couple fun twists that I enjoyed unpacking as they were revealed. A perfect summer thriller you can read in a weekend. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

There is nothing better than arm chair traveling with a book and I got a wonderful tour of Amsterdam in this book. Told in dual POV we follow Rayna, an American expat and travel journalist, and Willow, the wife to one of the House of Prins diamond family and mother to Sem. Rayna wakes up at the beginning of the book to find her Tinder date has been murdered. Her Tinder date turns out to be also a family member in the House of Prins.

Diamonds and secrets are at the center of this story. Amsterdam was a character in the book with the author describing the city and the culture in a way that I felt I was there. Dual POV is one of my favorite ways to read and book and the two characters picked to give their POV are intriguing. If you’ve read Kimberly Belle’s books before you will love this latest addition. If Kimberly Belle is a new author to you get ready for a thrilling read filled with great characters, twists you won’t see coming, and a beautiful setting.

This was such a fun thriller and the plot felt super unique! I often struggle with different POVs in thrillers because one always feels better than the other but I loved both of the women's POVs and felt that they added to the story substantially.

I have read every KB novel and this did not disapoint. Fast paced, full of twists & an overall fun time!

Kimberly Belle’s The Expat Affair is a gripping suspense novel that wastes no time plunging the reader into danger. Opening with a woman on the run, the narrative quickly escalates as she discovers her lover has been murdered—and she’s the prime suspect. From that moment on, the tension never lets up.

Belle masterfully weaves a web of deception, betrayal, and shifting truths, creating a story where nothing is as it seems. The twists are frequent and skillfully executed, keeping the reader constantly questioning motives and loyalties. Each revelation adds another layer of complexity, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.

With its fast-paced plot, emotionally charged stakes, and a protagonist caught in a relentless spiral of suspicion, The Expat Affair delivers a thrilling reading experience. Belle’s ability to keep readers on edge through every chapter ensures this is a suspense novel not to be missed.

I really enjoyed The Paris Widow, so I was thrilled when Harlequin Trade Publishing approved my receiving an ARC of Kimberly Belle's new book, The Expat Affair. I have never been to Amsterdam, but as a fellow American it was fun to live their different experiences in that city. The diamond industry info was somewhat interesting, but mostly because I am a big fan of manmade diamonds over mined ones. I wish all diamonds were made in a lab! This story has lots of surprising revelations as the story unfolds as all good twisty suspense novels do.
My favorite parts are when everything matters.
Thank you so much #Netgalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for my arc of this book in exchange for my honest (and delighted!) review.

Jewels, betrayal, murder, mystery, this book has it all. Readers will be swept up into a world where two women are fighting for two different things, unknowingly tying themselves to each other through fate and happenstance connections. This book is beautifully crafted and will sweep readers up in who killed Xander and why. Did either of them have a hand in his death be it personally or through their connections with him. Only time will tell.
Thank you so much to Harlequin Trad Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me an advance copy of this fast-paced mystery filled with twist and turns.

Rayna Dumont meets Xander on a dating app, and after being wined and dined by the handsome & successful businessman, she goes home with him. She wakes the next morning, quite hungover, to the sounds of the shower running. She decides to join him in the shower, only to receive a nasty shock.... Xander is dead, with a zip tie around his neck and one of his fingers chopped off. Scared that the murderer is still around, she hastily gets dressed and leaves, and then calls the police to report the murder. Unfortunately for her, the police find it hard to believe she could sleep through a man getting murdered, so she is a prime suspect. Also, the diamond necklace he had playfully draped across her neck - the one she snapped a photo of her wearing in bed, hoping to make her ex jealous - is missing, and the safe has been emptied as well.

Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?

I always enjoy this author's books. This was a fast paced thriller that kept me guessing. I really liked both Rayna and Willow. They both came to Amsterdam from the U.S. - Willow was a permanent resident now, but Rayna was on a work visa, as she was a travel writer. There were so many sketchy people, it was hard to figure out who to trust, and who could be in on the jewel heist. Rayna kept finding trackers planted in her things, and it was impossible to guess who was doing that. If you love a good thriller, then you should definitely check this out.

This book was SO freaking good! I'd have to say it's my favorite Kimberly Belle book so far!🩷

Rayna Dumont just went through a nasty divorce and decided to start over in Amsterdam. She's usually not the one-night-stand type, but this "new" Rayna is all about adventure. She meets Xander on Tinder, they get totally wasted, and she wakes up to find him dead in the shower, finger chopped off! She has no clue what happened, but she posted a picture online wearing a diamond necklace that's now gone, along with other diamonds from his safe.
Willow Prin, whose husband, Thomas was Xander's former boss and heir to a diamond house, is troubled by the death. It's causing a huge scandal! The whole company and family are under the microscope. What secrets are they hiding? Willow feels a connection with Rayna and thinks Rayna's in danger. Who killed Xander and why? Can Willow warn Rayna before she's next?

Told in the POV of Rayna and Willow, this book was highly entertaining! It was totally gripping, fast-paced, addictive, and unputdownable! I binged it in one sitting! It was suspenseful and the mystery was intriguing! The twists and turns were shocking! I was completely surprised by the turn of events! I found the focus on the diamond industry fascinating and I absolutely adored the setting of Amsterdam! This book definitely made me want to go there sooner rather than later. I think this would be the perfect book to take on vacation with you. I enjoyed SO much and HIGHLY recommend it!🩷

This is a slow burn suspense and a murder mystery with two female protagonists who need to find the truth in order to survive the fallout. Rayna and Willow are both Americans living in Amsterdam. Rayna has escaped a scandal in the U.S. since her rich spouse divorced her and publicly humiliated her. Willow is married to the head of a major diamond company in Amsterdam. Her last name, Prins, is synonymous with wealth and diamonds, but she is barely treading water to keep her marriage afloat with all kinds of secrets that she is slowly uncovering. Willow’s priority is their young son Sem, so for his sake, she is holding onto a loveless marriage and hoping that Thomas will at least notice that she is still his wife. The scene is set for high drama when Rayna has a one-night stand with gemnologist Xander and discovers his body in the shower the next morning. Xander once worked for the Prins, so the stage for a murder mystery with plenty of suspects is set. I really enjoyed the slow burn as I tried to figure out the clues and the red herrings. I liked the interactions between the two protagonists, with their obvious differences and their subtle similarities. The plot was compelling and kept me engaged from beginning to end, with dual narrators and a story that dovetailed together seamlessly in the end. The characters were believable, somewhat relatable and uniquely portrayed in their roles as the possible next victims as both women were holding tightly to secrets that could lead them into the deep waters of a diamond industry where all is not as it seems. I really liked the character of the detective investigating the case. Boomsma was an intrepidly determined man who wanted to solve the crime and keep the city safe from the crime that seemed to revolve around the Prins family and their new acquaintance Rayna.He was dogged in his pursuit of the truth no matter where it lay and was not intimidated by the wealth and influence of the Prins. This book is a must-read for fans of great mysteries and well-written character studies where the characters themselves are part of the mystery.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

The Expat Affair by Kimberly Belle is a captivating and intricately woven narrative that ensnares the reader from the very first page and maintains a firm grip on their attention until the final conclusion.

So the big question in this book is: WHO is the unreliable narrator? Or better asked: WHO are the unreliable characters? Because, um, the secrets run deep and wide in this story! Good gracious! And with two narrators that have completely different views of the story, there are so many ways everything could have gone. Such a wonderfully twisty story! I loved that even the worst of characters seemed to have some good in them. No one was surface level or all one thing or another. I also found the behind the scenes of the diamond industry interesting. That is saying a lot for a woman who rarely even wears her wedding ring! It felt like the book went by too quickly. But that was probably because I couldn't put it down! Make sure this one is on your summer TBR!