This starts off so exciting! An American woman in Amsterdam wakes up in the bed of the man she spent the night with, and finds that he's been murdered in the shower. Talk about hooked! Unfortunately the rest fell off a bit for me. I still very much enjoyed reading it, but it was a little far-fetched, and there were a couple twists that I don't quite understand. I'm not sure if they're plot-holes or were just too convoluted for me to follow. But a good popcorn thriller!

Oh my goodness I LOVED this book.

The Expat Affair follows two women who are American Citizens living in Amsterdam. It was really interesting that the author used her own experiences with that process to give dimension and life to the characters!

The characters were intriguing and kept me hooked as they unraveled the mystery of who killed the first victim.

I was not expecting the turn of events in part two, and I absolutely loved how everything tied together so neatly. Highly recommend!

"The Expat Affair" follows the lives of two expat women who's lives cross after the tragic death of a common "friend", Xander, a diamond "businessman".
Rayna, wanting a new start after a divorce, tries to recreate herself as "Rayna 2.0". She makes a Tinder, goes on a date and sleeps through a murder she is then accused of.
Willow, married into the richest diamond houses in the world after an unexpected pregnancy, is struggling through a strained marriage with Thomas, Xander's prior boss.

I loved every second of this book. I was constantly trying to guess who killed Xander and I was very wrong and happy about it! I have never read a story by Kimberly Belle, and I will be looking for another!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Kimberly Belle for the opportunity to read an ARC of "The Expat Affair"!

This one starts out with a bang with a dead body right off the bat. There were two female points of view, both expats, and I could not stop reading as I was trying to figure out how everything was related. Both for the two women and the supporting characters as well. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this months ago and was denied. A few days ago (end of May) I was granted the opportunity to read it. I have a rule to read/review before publication date. I felt rush to read “The Expat Affair.”

My rating is based on it started out with a bang. I was intrigued. As the story moved forward, my interest in the story died and some parts didn’t hold my interest.

Let’s be clear, I am a Kimberly Belle fan, period. I strongly encourage readers to read it for themselves. It could just be me this time.

The Expat Affair is an absorbing and entertaining read that feels just right for the summer. The plot, settings and characters all come together in a page turner. Diamonds, Europe, Murder, Intriguing Characters-take a look. There is fun in this read.

I was originally denied this book but was later offered a widget and in that moment the book Gods shone down on me! What a great book! I love Kimberley Belle's writing style, the way she layers in the plot and the twists. The characters in this book were well-written and it kept me turning the pages.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this arc.

Kimberly Belle is one of my favorite authors, and The Expat Affair is yet another well written novel.
The beginning had me hooked. Waking up to a dead body and not even hearing the intruder or murder taking place next to her? I ate that up.
Once the jewel heist stuff started getting deeper I felt myself losing interest a little. The pace was just a little too slow for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Expat Affair by Kimberly Belle.

I have now read quite a few of Belle's books, and I've liked most of them, but not all of them. Unfortunately this was a miss. But the reviews for the book are good, so maybe I'm the one who missed something.

This is the story of two women, both tangled up in a dangerous diamond heist, one through family, the other through circumstances. I can't put my finger on why, but I never got into this story. The characters were uncompelling, and the plot felt thin.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

I can’t believe this was my first @kimberlybellebooks it definitely will not be my last!

This was such an interesting thriller set in Amsterdam. I have visited twice and absolutely loved the city. I thought the author created such an interesting backdrop to this mystery, I was hooked!

The story follows two expats living in Amsterdam, and their lives start to intertwine after the shocking death of famous gemologist- Xander. Rayna, fresh from America, is looking to start over and goes on a date with Xander and wakes up to him murdered in the bathroom. Willow on the other hand married in the wealthiest diamond family in Amsterdam. Her husband Thomas was Xander’s boss, and the company is on alert trying to figure out the mystery. After Xander’s death, willow begins to receive threatening messages.

I absolutely love thrillers that depict the lives of the ultra rich. It’s one of my favorite sub points, and this book showcased that. Overall, it was a fast paced thriller that kept me hooked the entire time. I thought it was creative and I liked learning about the diamond field, it was a good backdrop. I loved seeing how Rayna and Willow’s lives begin to come together. I will say I think there were too many details about diamonds. After sometime, it did become a little repetitive.

Thanks to @htp_hive for an advanced copy! This book comes out tomorrow. Highly recommend!

THE EXPAT AFFAIR is the latest gripping thriller from Kimberly Belle. I’m a big fan of this author and her new book is a winner. After a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont moves to Amsterdam for a completely fresh start. But her new adventure takes a shocking turn after a Tinder date with the handsome Xander, a successful diamond merchant. After a night of heavy drinking, Rayna awakens to discover Xander’s dead body in the shower and diamonds worth millions missing from his safe. Who killed Xander and why was Rayna left alive? Is there anyone she can trust in her adopted city? News of Xander’s death quickly reaches Willow Prins, another American expat, married to Thomas Prins, the heir to the famous House of Prins diamond empire and also Xander’s former boss. The scandal draws unwanted scrutiny to the Prins family, exposing secrets, lies and bitter family rivalries. Both Rayna and Willow are pulled into the dark underworld of the diamond industry where they will have to band together to survive. The fast-paced story is full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. I loved the atmospheric setting and the suspenseful plot. I enjoyed this entertaining book and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Thank you, @KimberlyBelleBooks, @htp_hive, @htpbooks, and @htpbooks_audio for my gifted copies. #HiveInfluencer

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Expat Affair by Kimberly Belle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 313 / Genre: Murder Mystery
Release Date: June 3, 2025
🥳#HappyPubWeek!🎉

Now divorced after walking in on her husband in bed with her best friend, Rayna is rebuilding her life as a travel writer in Amsterdam. Feeling she’s earned a bit of fun and debauchery, she wakes up one morning to find the guy she just spent the night with murdered in his shower. What follows is a twisty maze of events that involves diamonds, greed, and a complicated web of relationships.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery. I especially loved that it’s set in Amsterdam and shown from an outsider’s perspective, which adds a layer of complexity to this twisty thriller.

The Expat Affair by Kimberly Belle is a fast paced mystery featuring murder, theft and the diamond trade. Rayna, a recent transplant to Amsterdam, goes out with a handsome gemologist and ends up finding him dead in his bathroom. While she is being threatened for the missing diamonds, she befriends Willow, the wife of one of the famous House of Prins diamond traders. Both women try to figure out how to navigate this unusual situation and escape with their lives!

This is the second or third Kimberly Belle novel
I have read and I really enjoyed it. The intrigue of the diamond trade really drew me in. This would be a great summer beach/vacation read! I look forward to the next novel by Kimberly Belle!

Rayna, a new resident of Amsterdam, discovered her one-night stand, Xander, dead in the shower the following morning. Clearly murdered, she was shocked and terrified, and fled the scene immediately. Xander was a gemologist, and it was soon discovered that millions of dollars worth of diamonds were missing from his safe.

Then there’s Willow Prins, the wife of the heir to a diamond house. The Prins family certainly didn’t need any scandal, and Willow’s unhappiness in her marriage provided enough of one. As it turns out, Xander was recently employed by the Prins family, and his murder was connected to them.

The Prins house, their diamond empire, has come under intense scrutiny, and a game of cat and mouse ensued. At some point, Rayna and Willow would connect, and danger would follow both of them.

Initially, Rayna fled the scene, but she eventually decided to work with the detective investigating the murder. She soon found herself drawn into the dark and dangerous world of the diamond market, determined to uncover the truth about Xander’s death while trying to stay alive herself.

The title is intriguing because it turns out that both Rayna and Willow are expats, something I learned about while reading the book. Kimberly Belle has done an exceptional job of drawing me into the lives and pressures of both women, all while revealing intense family drama behind the scenes with the Prins family. This is definitely another engaging read.

Many thanks to Park Row and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A real page turner! This starts with a pow, when Rayna finds Xander, the guy she just met, dead in the shower and herself in danger because someone thinks she has the diamonds from his safe, diamonds he might have stolen from Pims in order to grow synthetic ones. And then there's Willow, the American wife of Thomas Pims who is struggling as a housewife in Amsterdam but who is devoted to her small son Sem. This moves back and forth between them to tell a propulsive story that sees both women look for answers not only about Xander but also about Thomas. Someone is tracking Rayna but who? The two meet up and build an alliance. Who to trust? Well, no one as it turns out. This has good twists and surprises-no spoilers. I liked learning a bit about the diamond business and the Amsterdam atmospherics (the bike!). And I found myself rooting for both Willow and Rayna. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this.

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.